Officially, approximately 17,000 people live in the neighbourhood's 19 apartment towers and 4 low rise buildings, making it one of Canada's most densely populated communities.

[1] St. James Town began to grow in the 19th century when it became a semi-suburban area home to the city's middle class.

It was also part of the City Liberties bounded roughly by Bloor, Don River, Dundas and Bathurst.

Many residents of the area resisted, with the support of civic activist and future Mayor of Toronto John Sewell.

The plan for St. James Town's highrises was conceived in the 1950s to house young middle class residents who worked downtown.

It was spurred forward by the federal government, which saw city building as a key to the nation's recovery after the Depression and the Second World War.

[3] The buildings failed to attract the large number of demographics the developer envisioned, and the neighbourhood was designed without proper amenities to support the spike in density.

Many prospective tenants chose suburban houses in the developing areas of Scarborough, Etobicoke, and North York.

After the provincial health care restructuring of the mid-1990s, the Princess Margaret Hospital site on Sherbourne Street became available.

Lanterra Developments has also proposed plans to replace some of the remaining Victorian homes in St. James Town with several more towers.

[4] On September 24, 2010, a fire broke out on the 24th floor of 200 Wellesley St. East (the white building behind the library and community centre).

[7][8] As of May 2019, re-occupancy had been postponed to late that year due to the complexities of restoration work, including the discovery of a "minor amount" of asbestos.

When further examined against the average income of residents in Canada, whereby it is reported to be $40,650 in the 2011 National Household Survey, the difference remains similar at $18,309.

The ten most common languages in the neighbourhood, after English, are: In October 2009, St. James Town contained the following businesses, organizations and institutions: The Corner currently operates out of two spaces one at 200 Wellesley Street East which focuses on health, social and settlement services.

The other location at 240 Wellesley Street East focuses on local sustainability, waste diversion, green initiatives and skill building.